URM - mom from sierra leone, west africa/ dad jamaican with portugese descent (never met father)will be first college grad in family.

3.0-3.1 GPA at graduation if I maintain current pace of straight A's. (Upward Trend-two straight years of all A's. 0.73 GPA after freshman year)

167 LSAT - Shooting for 171-172 on retake

Compelling Personal Statement and LOR's. Former gang member/been stabbed in torsow/ scars to prove it. Not proud of it, just stating the facts. Left gang and decided to attend college at 22 yrs. old after best friend was sentenced to 18 years in prison (fed time-no parole). REALLY turned my life around

Started a youth mentorship program here in Atlanta....My Brother's Keeper which links underprivileged black males with black male college students.

URM - mom from sierra leone, west africa/ dad jamaican with portugese descent (never met father)will be first college grad in family.

3.0-3.1 GPA at graduation if I maintain current pace of straight A's. (Upward Trend-two straight years of all A's. 0.73 GPA after freshman year)

167 LSAT - Shooting for 171-172 on retake

Compelling Personal Statement and LOR's. Former gang member/been stabbed in torsow/ scars to prove it. Not proud of it, just stating the facts. Left gang and decided to attend college at 22 yrs. old after best friend was sentenced to 18 years in prison (fed time-no parole). REALLY turned my life around

Started a youth mentorship program here in Atlanta....My Brother's Keeper which links underprivileged black males with black male college students.

I'm shooting for T-14. HYS and other top of the heap schools etc.

What are my chances?

If you have any convictions/run ins with the law, be upfront about them. Law Schools tend to favor URM's and if you can write a compelling essay and back it up with the numbers (which look pretty decent), you will get into law school. Take a shot - there is no harm in applying to HYS etc.Good luck. It's nice to see it when someone turns their challenging life into something positive!

Correction...law schools tend to "seek out QUALIFIED URM's", especially those with good stories. Being a URM in itself guarantees nothing.

I hate to nitpick, but I never so much as implied any such guarantee.However, you must realize that URM's get preferential treatment when it comes to qualifications. Without inciting a racial epithet, a white guy with a 3.0 and a 172 doesn't have much of a shot at HLS. According to ABA data, the 25% GPA of Harvard admits is 3.75 and the 25% LSAT is 170. An URM gets an edge due to diversity goals, and therefore has decreased requirements to fulfill the 'qualified' status.

Personally, I say go for it. I wouldn't give a crap how I got into HLS, as long as I got in.

As a former investigator with the FL Board of Bar Examiners, i can tell you that your challenge won't come from bar school admission, but in obtaining admission to practice law. Do you have any felony convictions? If so, you want to make sure your civil rights have been restored. I don't know what state you're in or plan to practice law, but FL has a reputation for having one of the toughest background investigation processes. My advice is to keep up the good work and do as much volunteer work as you possibley can.

Logged

cooleylawstudent

As a former investigator with the FL Board of Bar Examiners, i can tell you that your challenge won't come from bar school admission, but in obtaining admission to practice law. Do you have any felony convictions? If so, you want to make sure your civil rights have been restored. I don't know what state you're in or plan to practice law, but FL has a reputation for having one of the toughest background investigation processes. My advice is to keep up the good work and do as much volunteer work as you possibley can.